[Closed] Ramadan Mubarak

Best of luck man, got to say, i don't fancy it much, especially if cycling in this heat!

Best of luck with it - one day I will notice it is coming up and try to do it myself, if only to see how hard it really is…

Rachel

At least you're not in the North of Scotland. It get's darker a bit later up here. Good luck with it.

Ramadan Mubarak.

Good luck! I can't imagine going for so long without any food! Decadent infidel that I am. 😳

Never fails to amaze me just how well most Muslims seem to deal with Ramadan. I really think there must be something very positive for mind, body and soul to fast in this manner.

I really think there must be something very positive for mind, body and soul to fast in this manner.

Can you elaborate on these "practical" benefits?

Why the edit Cloudhopper?

Fair play, must be hard work in this weather

I imagine the benefits include a bit of weight loss and discipline, fairly ****ing obvious really.

Good luck.

A good few colleagues have decided to allow themselves a little more leeway this year due to timing, the current heat and the circumstances of the job.

I used to find Lent and holy days tough enough as a kid, and but it certainly focuses the mind.
🙂

Look after yourself Gonzy.

Edit:
Benefits?
Being hungry and thirsty is very different to watching someone who's hungry and thirsty on the TV.

It gives you a sense if perspective - if you want one.

It's used by the secular and religious alike, for many reasons.
See the innumerable diet threads on here etc.

A mate at work has lately been trying to explain Ramadan to some of our more intrigued colleagues.
So far, he has been asked what happens when if it rains and water gets in his mouth and what if he eats a bug whilst riding.

He also had to explain that no one was forcing him to take the challenge. That shocked people the most!

Ramadan Mubarak and stay hydrated, people.

Religion. Ridiculous nonsense.

No offense.

none taken...everyone is entitled to their opinion.

At least you're not in the North of Scotland. It get's darker a bit later up here.

don't fancy it much, especially if cycling in this heat!

its still doable...just got to take it easy and allow more recover time between each ride...last year i managed to get a few rides in and for the last 2 weeks or so...i was commuting to work and back on the bike

I really think there must be something very positive for mind, body and soul to fast in this manner.

one day I will notice it is coming up and try to do it myself, if only to see how hard it really is…

Ramadan Mubarak, dude. As a teacher I'm glad it's fallen AFTER the English GCSE this year 🙂

watch this space....

No way dude. I'm out.
My belief system's all about the chocolate eggs and the mince pies. 😉

I imagine the benefits include a bit of weight loss and discipline, fairly **** obvious really.

not necessarily...start of ramadan is always a bit harder. for example for todays first fast i performed a special late evening prayer at 11.30pm (which lasts around 30 minutes if done at home but can be anything up to 90 minutes if done at the mosque). i then would have gone to bed for a short nap before waking up at around 1.30am to have a final meal before making my intention to fast followed by my morning prayer which is carried performed at sunrise (around 2.30am)
then i go to bed and wake up at the normal time...6am and get on with doing routine stuff such as getting kids ready, taking them to school/nursery and then going to work etc.
by the time i get home tonight it will be close to 6.30pm..the kids will need to be fed and in bed by 8.30pm. whilst doing all that we'll be getting the food ready so we can break our fast at sunset at around 9.30pm.
this cycle is then repeated for 30 days
you would think that its easy to lose weight during ramadan but i personally find that i always gain weight and i put that down to eating the wrong foods but more importantly eating and then sleeping on a full belly.
the disrupted sleep doesnt help either...but it does get easier..even in this weather

i didnt do myself any favours this weekend...after working a half day on Friday we took the kids to the beach in the afternoon. got back late and after the kids were in bed i was up until about 4am sorting my daughters presents out for her 4th birthday on Saturday.
Saturday woke up at 6am by an exited daughter and then it was just busy all throughout the day as we had guests and a party to sort out...lots of cooking and entertaining
then Saturday night the oldest child had a bad asthma attack so i ended up taking him to A&E...we were there from midnight until 4am
yesterday my cousin came round so we ended up taking the kids out and then went for a late lunch. then i had a load of last minute ramadan shopping to do...to stay awake i had a few red bulls so i couldnt sleep last night.
i'm paying for it now while i sit at my desk trying to stay awake!!

"Why the edit Cloudhopper?"

Because, life's too short, you know?

Edit:
Benefits?
Being hungry and thirsty is very different to watching someone who's hungry and thirsty on the TV.

It gives you a sense if perspective - if you want one.

It's used by the secular and religious alike, for many reasons.
See the innumerable diet threads on here etc.

thanks Rusty...that's one way of looking at it.
ramadan is a time to reflect on oneself and offer more prayer as its also the month of forgiveness. we also carry out our charitable duties more in this month than any other...charity is one of the 5 pillars of islam
spiritually it also gives us more focus and teaches us more about self discipline
from the physical side of things as rusty pointed out above..thats one aspect of it...after performing at least 4 days of continuous fasting the body is supposed to have gone through a detox cycle

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evgeniya-melnikova/why-fasting-during-ramada_b_5564387.html

http://www.nairaland.com/1352200/10-incredible-health-benefits-fasting

http://www.ramadan.co.uk/health-benefits-of-fasting/

Tough time of year for it for certain. Best wishes and I respect very much the sacrafice for your beliefs.

Just out of interest, what's the deal with people who have jobs like doctors, nurses, professional drivers etc where being alert (and not suffering from low blood sugar) is a necessity?

Good luck with it - a colleague goes through this every year, and then does a bit extra to make up for her mum who is unable to do the fasting for medical reasons, so her Mums's 30 days get shared amongst my colleague and her siblings.

I respect anyone who is prepared to do this for their faith, whether I understand the faith or not.

corroded - Member

Just out of interest, what's the deal with people who have jobs like doctors, nurses, professional drivers etc where being alert (and not suffering from low blood sugar) is a necessity?

They just do their job, if they're healthy, because the fast doesn't cause loss of alertness or low blood sugar

It's interesting that all of the major religions have some form of fast.

Islam does seem to be the hardest though, so good luck with it 🙂

Hmm. I'll have to find an excuse to visit Muslim friends for Iftar! All those delicious tasty little snacks, then a proper huge meal. Samosas, pakoras, etc etc. 😀

That's a real test. Make Christians bitching about giving up something for Easter look petty.
Best wishes.

My muslim ex-collague reckoned it was easy to lose weight during Ramadan.. mind you he wasn't skinny...

Just out of interest, what's the deal with people who have jobs like doctors, nurses, professional drivers etc where being alert (and not suffering from low blood sugar) is a necessity?

Hmm. I'll have to find an excuse to visit Muslim friends for Iftar! All those delicious tasty little snacks, then a proper huge meal. Samosas, pakoras, etc etc.

if you know any muslim friends or colleagues then suggest the ShareRamadan idea

Since the Koran was written before Muslims began travelling north and south to latitudes where the summer daylight lasts for ridiculously long, I can't imagine that this kind of misery was ever intended. In fact I remember reading last year that a UK-based Muslim organisation, the Council of Mosques or some such, was lobbying Mecca for a fatwa allowing all Muslims to fast during Mecca daylight hours. I'd be interested to know how far they got with the idea; not very far I'd suspect.

Gonzy - just a note to say thanks for the different perspective.

Like (I suspect) most on here, I'm a middle-aged white guy, so the different view is really interesting.

Thanks

Just out of interest, what's the deal with people who have jobs like doctors, nurses, professional drivers etc where being alert (and not suffering from low blood sugar) is a necessity?

I was under the impression that there was a get-out clause for people who genuinely can't fast for whatever reason (eg, underlying health issues). Though I'd guess that's down to individual mosques / imams to decide?

Gonzy - just a note to say thanks for the different perspective.

Like (I suspect) most on here, I'm a middle-aged white guy, so the different view is really interesting.

Thanks

Indeed. As an occasionally militant atheist I think the entire thing is hogwash of course, and the whole "detox" idea is cast iron pseudoscience, but that doesn't mean it's not interesting to read nonetheless. Whatever your reasoning, there's no getting away from the fact that it's a pretty big personal challenge and not one I think I'd relish, certainly not when it's 24' outside. Fair play.

So yeah, what he said, thanks for sharing.

Not Ramadan related but a long time ago I travelled with a muslim friend up into the arctic circle. As we were travelling he was only praying 3 times a day but still doing it at dawn and dusk (which were about 2 hours apart). Anyway, turns out that when he found a mosque in a place called Inuvik the locals just adjusted the times to Edmonton time, much much further south and more practical.

Why don't people just correct to Mecca? It does seem a little harsh give the origins are in a place where it is pretty much 12 hours day light all year round.

One of our ladies in the shop had a ramadaming nurse faint on her while she was having a blood test.

Yes you can break or not observe the fast for health or safety reasons although in the rare cases I am aware of people took only a little water.

It was interesting livng in Singapore where they have holidays for all religions/nationalities - Christmas/Chinese NYEaster/Devali/EID. American company I worked gave 3 personal days ontop of holidays so varying religions could take their days (done mostly for Jewish holidays buy applied to all)

Indeed. As an occasionally militant atheist I think the entire thing is hogwash of course, and the whole "detox" idea is cast iron pseudoscience, but that doesn't mean it's not interesting to read nonetheless. Whatever your reasoning, there's no getting away from the fact that it's a pretty big personal challenge and not one I think I'd relish, certainly not when it's 24' outside. Fair play

Not much time to eat either what with the long prayer

Hopefully you will be fine

Inshallah 😉

Why don't people just correct to Mecca? It does seem a little harsh give the origins are in a place where it is pretty much 12 hours day light all year round

There have been some requests especially the more northern you get for this

This is how I did though I was in that rough area anyway

cougar those who are elderly and frail, mentally ill, pregnant, breastfeeding mothers, women who are on their period are the ones who the exemption usually applies to.
however if you would normally be physically and mentally able to fast but have not been able to during ramadan for a medical reason then you are expected to make up for the lost ones later in the year.
for those who are not able to fast at all...then someone can perform their fasts on their behalf but its generally more acceptable to ether make a charitable donation or by feeding the poor

for prayer times you will always align the times so they match the nearest mosque. i live in manchester but if i'm out on my travels and say for instatnce i'm up in north wales...i will perform my prayers according to the tiems that are aligned to the local mosque there
therefore the logic for the mosque that Jonba mentions is sound logic as it can be justified by its remoteness
in a more densely populated area its harder to do this....especially with different time zones.
for example you live in australia so you are between 5-7 hours ahead of Mecca time.
if you performed your fast following mecca times your fast would be invalid for the following reasons:
to begin your fast you must get up before the break of dawn to to have your last meal and to make your intention to fast. this is usually followed by the first prayer of the day at dawn. so according to mecca time dawn is at around 5am and dusk is at around 7pm. so when the saudis start begin their fast at dawn (5am) it will already be between 10am-12noon in australia. come the end of the fast at dusk 7pm saudi time will mean that those in australia will be breaking their fast between midnight and 2am.
in order to perform a fast you must make your intention to fast at dawn and break your fast at dusk...so thats why is just wont work.
you pray and fast according to the light conditions where you are geographically located

They just do their job, if they're healthy, because the fast doesn't cause loss of alertness or low blood sugar

Was told there are exceptions for exactly the reason mentioned.

you pray and fast according to the light conditions where you are geographically located

Just checked the times from my local mosque.

01:33 to 22:04 today.

20 hours and 31 minutes is a long time to go without as much as a custard cream.

Respect.

If you fail for one day can you add a day on the end? My next door neighbour used to say this to me if I walked into the garden and 'caught' him smoking!

So………it’s the start of Ramadan again...the holiest month in the islamic calendar
so for 30 days(no food and water for 19 hours)

I think the xmas celebrations sounds better
30 days of constantly imbibing food and alcohol, all in the name of our lord and saviour santa claus

my liver may feel differently

I'm abstaining from food today too for weight loss reasons, although I will have the luxury of water and black coffee. However, I won't be eating again until breakfast tomorrow.

Best of luck to all undertaking Ramadan.

Ramadan Mubarak!

jonba - Member

Why don't people just correct to Mecca? It does seem a little harsh give the origins are in a place where it is pretty much 12 hours day light all year round.

What do you do in space? What do you do when we colonise Venus with its 6000 hour long day? Do we just use UTC?

(not taking the piss, it intrigues me; there's obviously a break point at which local time just becomes impossible)

What do you do in space?

Ooh, please sir, I know this. There's precedence, a Muslim chap did it about ten years back. They observed Ramadan using local time at the launch pad.

So the unusual cordiality extended to this religion-based thread is due to double standards or fear of violence?

One spot of Googling later,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Muszaphar_Shukor

Since Sheikh Muszaphar is a Muslim, and as his time in space coincided with the last part of Ramadan, the Islamic National Fatwa Council drew up the first comprehensive guidebook for Muslims in space. The 18-page guidebook is titled "Guidelines for Performing Islamic Rites (Ibadah) at the International Space Station", and details issues such as how to pray in a low-gravity environment, how to locate Mecca from the ISS, how to determine prayer times, and issues surrounding fasting. The orbit of the ISS results in one day/night cycle every 90 minutes, so the issues of fasting during Ramadan are also addressed. Sheikh Muszaphar celebrated Eid ul-Fitr aboard the station, and packed some satay and cookies to hand out to the rest of the crew on 13 October 2007 to mark the end of Ramadan.

So the unusual cordiality extended to this religion-based thread is due to double standards or fear of violence?

I can tell you one thing that differentiates this thread from most of the other religion threads is that someone actually reported posts they found offensive (and those posts were subsequently deleted) rather than just bleating on in the thread making allegations of bias.

Other than the deleted posts no-one's actually tried to derail the thread into an argument so far. Well, apart from you, just now.

People in the Middle East and Asia do have a shorter day but have you checked the temperatures there recently? They average between 32-45deg Celsius. It's not that bad just cracked on with it.

Currently sitting in a gold mine in Mali. Colleagues are struggling to get into the rhythm. 38 degrees....

Best of luck Gonzy, I wouldn't fancy it - my folks live in Bahrain, they say it's a time to be extra careful driving as tired and hungry people don't also make great drivers ha ha.

I just read that in the Middle East Vimto has become a traditional Ramadam treat, like Turkey at Christmas or oddly KFC at Christmas in Japan - does it have that sort of connection in the West? I find things like that fascinating.

Ramadan Mubarak

Good link Cougar, cheers! I thought on the ISS you could probably seek exemption because you're travelling. Praying towards mecca must be interesting as you fly over at 17000mph. Need a turntable.

Also interesting the navigation skills and understanding of celestial mechanics needed to face Mecca - there's suggestions tat this is why Muslim astronomers and mathematicians were so advanced in the Middle Ages.

National night of Vimto drinking and late night food shopping.
The night is filled with gents just walking and having conversations with their and lady's and children visiting friends. It's like a busy normal daytime but at night.

I sooo love Ramadan 😀

[b]Who doesn't have to fast[/b]

Those that choose not to
Sick/Elderly
Pregnant/Breastfeeding
Mentally disabled

Some more i can not think of right now.

Awesome thread OP

Thank heavens for Christianity 😀

Good luck to the OP it's not a challenge I'd relish.

Just out of interest, what's the deal with people who have jobs like doctors, nurses, professional drivers etc where being alert (and not suffering from low blood sugar) is a necessity

I saw one of those Police Interceptors type progs when the officer featured was fasting and had to give foot chase to some crims. Low blood sugar caused him to go all pale and puky after a few seconds. Not sure fasting in that role was the best idea....he could have put a colleagues or member of the public's life in danger by not being able to react.

I've seen more than a few police officers who'd go pale and puky if asked to run, and they definitely weren't Muslim 😉

Ah - that's alright then!

Gonzy Eid will come soon enough 🙂

My colleague at work is fasting and I've promised not to eat/bring food to my desk. Hard enough without water, smelling food would be awful.

The tone of this thread is somewhat creepy ! Must be some heavy censoring going down.

Wondering how many get kicked off Ramadan at our place when the Imam finds out the cheats, as he always does.

thebees?

Also interesting the navigation skills and understanding of celestial mechanics needed to face Mecca

As for the hours Ramadan was conceived in the Middle East where the varience in the length of the days is not so great, certainly much more difficult at this lattitude

To question = To derail.

All very 1984.

To question = To derail.

To question? You asked if the cordiality was due to "fear of violence". What sort of "question" is that ffs?

Were you [i]seriously[/i] asking if people were being cordial towards gonzy because they feared violence if they weren't?

Of course not.

It was simply a moronic "question" designed shit-stir and derail the thread.

Ernesto has awoken, like a snarling guard dog. Good dog.

I asked a Moslem work colleague about how Ramadan works in northern latitudes as if it is summer north of the arctic circle there is no sunset. He said (if I remember correctly) that you go with the times of the nearest place where it is practical. He thought that in June the latitude of Aberdeen was getting close to the limit for using local sunset sunrise times for fasting.

He also had an app on his phone to show him what direction Mecca was when he had to pray while at work without going to a Mosque.

I didn't know about vimto, I can't remember the last time I saw it in a shop (but that might just be from living abroad for a while)
Funnily enough, the Algerian top selling fizzy drink is called selecto. It's more or less dandelion and burdock.

He also had an app on his phone to show him what direction Mecca was when he had to pray while at work without going to a Mosque.

You mean like a compass?

[img] [/img]

I asked a Moslem work colleague about how Ramadan works in northern latitudes as if it is summer north of the arctic circle there is no sunset. He said (if I remember correctly) that you go with the times of the nearest place where it is practical. He thought that in June the latitude of Aberdeen was getting close to the limit for using local sunset sunrise times for fasting.

He also had an app on his phone to show him what direction Mecca was when he had to pray while at work without going to a Mosque

Before you delete the post irc may I say you are even worse than Ernesto at derailing a thread so only 2/10

You can get special watches too:

[img] [/img]

I've got an old one in my retro digital watch collection somehwere.

I don't believe in any of gonzy's stuff either. I'm an atheist, but I'm a lazy one and can't be arsed being militant about it tbh.

I really like gonzy's posts though. They are always interesting and give insight into what is to many of us in the secular side of life, a bit of a mystery. I quite like how he lets any "insults" run off him like water off a duck's back and answers some of the "but what about..." with patient detail. He's how I imagine the great majority of practising Muslims to be. In short, it seems he tries his best not to be an intolerant prick. You should try that sometime enfht. Be the change you want to see.

(By the way, did you read about him going to the beach and then having a birthday party for his daughter. That must all sound unsettlingly normal to you. So, it's ok, I can understand how you might have been feeling a bit anxious reading through the thread which possibly provoked you to ask your innocent question.)

Ramadan Mubarak gonzy!

^ spot on. Militant atheists just make the rest of us normal atheists look like dicks.

You can get special watches too

And clocks which play "call to prayer"

[img] [/img]

I once worked in someone's flat and got quite a surprise when instead of chiming their clock started playing a "Azan".

You mean like a compass?

Well since facing east is not facing Mecca. I'd assumed it pointed to Mecca rather than east. But maybe Moslems face east instead of actually facing Mecca. I don't know.

Anyone know the answer?

And clocks which play "call to prayer"

Is it wrong to want to buy that and hide it somewhere in Nigel Farage's house?

But maybe Moslems face east instead of actually facing Mecca. I don't know.

No, they face Mecca. It's called a Qibla compass, and it's corrected for the lat/long of major cities.

No it's Mecca not east. But they've been doing it for over a thousand years before smart phones were invented so I guess compasses must have played a part. Unless they are actually standing in Mecca of course.

Unless they are actually standing in Mecca of course.

Is there a specific place in Mecca you have to face if you're actually in Mecca?

Could be a good quiz question like those "standing at the North Pole facing west" ones.

I think they have to face this :

[img] [/img]

Sounds barbaric to starve yourself and eat at night only.

Seriously? Well it's your choice at the end of the day so you might as well as enjoy it.

As an atheist I do prefer religions who party and celebrate with fantastic food like mince pies or samosas!

Stuffing yourself with food and booze and then throwing up everywhere sounds a bit barbaric to Frank.

One of our family friends in my teens was a PhD student from Algeria. I went out to visit her in the 90s. She was deeply religious and her life was filled with certainties I have never had. Her version on Islam was scholarly and intellectually appealing - and with all the ritual which gave her life structure - from prayer to fasting. It made such good sense I seriously considered it. However, there was one major stumbling block (and it wasn't Ramadan!): I just don't believe in God. Which would have put a bit of a spanner in the works.

I had a brilliant time in Algeria, her sister Karima and I got a bus right out into the Sahara and went exploring. Lovely people wherever we went. So hot, and such an alien landscape and architecture (even for Karima who was brought up on the coast). Thanks for reminding me if it!

Ramadan Mubarak 🙂

Frankenstein ( 🙄 ), are you trying to start a Ramadan ding-dong ?

I hope your day's going well gonzy (and fellow fasters)